The present invention generally relates to an appliance stand and more specifically is directed toward an integrally molded appliance stand with a housing having a flat upper surface bounded by a raised rim and a foldable hinged drawer slidably mounted in the housing. The drawer is used for storage of utensils commonly used and associated with counter top appliances such as splatter screens, eating and serving utensils, insulated gloves and the like.
An appliance stand is useful for holding appliances such as microwaves, crock pots, slow cookers, grills and other insulated cooking devices. In the prior art shaped wire stands have been used to elevate the appliance or to provide open storage for related use utensils, splatter screens and similar items. One form of commonly used stand is a ceramic or marble/granite planar base mounted on a wire housing such as is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,736 or a tray as seen in U.S. Design Pat. No. 399,702. Another commonly used type of stand is a wire rack with legs and supports such as that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,190,065, 3,013,670 and 4,943,029. Another patent of interest is U.S. Design Pat. No. 327,200 which discloses a solid tray with a flat upper surface and a slidable extension drawer.
Accordingly, the novel appliance stand has been developed to hold microwaves, cookers and other appliances which resolves the problems of counter space, provides storage, hides auxiliary utensils from sight, while providing protection of utensils from grease, dust and the like as well as being easily cleaned or placeable in a dishwasher for cleaning.
The present invention is directed toward a plastic appliance stand with an integrally molding housing having an upper flat surface to support and elevate the appliance and a slidable drawer slidably mounted within the housing to hold and protect utensils, splatter screens and other items from exposure to the normal kitchen debris such as grease, dirt, spillage and the like. The slidable drawer has foldable panels which are secured to adjacent panels and a recessed handle formed in the front panel which allows easy grasping to pull or push the drawer while eliminating accidental contact. As normal doors of counter top appliances are side-hinged and therefore swing open from side to side generally leaving less than xc2xe inch clearance above the counter top, it is difficult to place any object in front of the appliance door without having to remove the same to open the appliance door. It is usual and common to stir food in those appliances during cooking and therefore any stirring device must be moved to enable the user to open the door to do so. This means that an additional 16 to 18 inches of counter space is needed when using those appliances to allow for the opening and closing of the appliance door.
It is an object of the invention to provide an appliance stand equipped with an enclosed slidable drawer for storage of xe2x80x9csplatter screensxe2x80x9d or other covers used to prevent food from xe2x80x9csplatteringxe2x80x9d the inside of a counter top appliance during cooking.
It is another object of the invention to provide an appliance stand with a slidable drawer which fits flush against the front wall of appliance stand to eliminate spillage into the interior of the drawer and prevent snagging of clothing on the handle or engagement of the handle with utensils.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an appliance stand which can be easily assembled without tools.
It is another object of the invention to elevate the appliance and the cooking surface of the same to provide more convenient viewing of the food being cooked in the appliance.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an appliance stand having a flat top surface which is suitable for holding the majority of counter top appliances being used.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an appliance stand with a flat top surface surrounded by an upright rib to prevent the appliance from sliding or being knocked off of the flat surface of the appliance top.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide the user with storage space in the appliance stand for any utensils being used allowing easy access of same for use during cooking as well as reduce the amount of counter space needed for use of such a counter top appliance and accessories.
It is still another object of the invention to provide for an easily accessible storage space next to the appliance which protects utensils and other related cooking devices from grease or dirt during the cooking process as well as after the cooking process is finished.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an appliance stand with a smooth outer surface allowing easy cleaning of the stand.